Category: Fitness

Have you been keeping up with the winter Olympics? This year’s Games are taking place in PyeongChang, South Korea, and so far we’ve seen amazing things from Team USA – especially from the girls! Below, we take a look at four female athletes who have already shown the world that sports aren’t just for boys anymore:

Mirai Nagasu, Figure Skater

Image from Fansided.

Mirai made headlines earlier this month when she became the first American woman ever to land a triple axel in the Olympics. (Besides her, only two other Olympic athletes have ever successfully completed the same jump.) Watch Mirai’s stunning performance here or learn more about her by visiting her website here.

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite TV Show:The Big Bang Theory

#goals: “My goal is to accept any challenge that life throws me and to become a better person from each experience. Sounds super cheesy, but it’s my honest opinion. I’m going to make mistakes and have success; I hope that under all circumstances, I can come away from everything as a role model and an inspiration.”

Chloe Kim, Snowboarder

Photo from ABCNews

Chloe, at 17, has been turning heads since she arrived at the Olympics earlier this winter. However, after winning the women’s halfpipe gold, she really caught everyone’s attention. She was also the first woman to land consecutive 1080s in the halfpipe at the Olympics. Watch Chloe’s record-breaking run here or follow her on Twitter here!

Lindsey Vonn, Skier

Photo from CNN

You’ve probably heard of Lindsey Vonn before – if not at this Olympics, then during one of her other three (2002, 2006, and 2010!). Among her many, many achievements, Lindsey holds the American record for most world cup victories and is ranked second in the world. You can buy her book, Strong is the New Beautiful,here, or follow her on Twitter or Instagram!

Our Fave Three Things About Lindsey:

Her ideal day off is our ideal day off. “I’d sit on my couch with a large container of froyo with my dogs, and I would watch Law and Order marathons all day long in my pajamas—a onesie.”

Becca, who was named USA Curling’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2017, is one half of the U.S. curling team. The other half? Her brother, Matt! The pair are slowly but surely working their way through all of the curling challenges PyeongChang has to offer, and we can’t wait to watch them the rest of the way! You can find Becca on Twitter and Instagram – and welcome to the #HamFam!

To me, fall is changing leaves, apple cider, oversized sweaters, plaid jackets, pumpkin-everything, and football. While you wouldn’t necessarily think of pink when watching your college team score touchdowns as you take another bite of perfect game-time nachos, think again! There are actually some secret pink facts about football that we can’t wait to share with you. From pink locker rooms to overwhelming support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, both college football and the NFL can be pretty pinkly perfect.

University of Iowa Opponent’s Locker Room

Let’s start with the University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium where the locker room is entirely pink. Yep—pink everything! Pink floors, pink lockers, pink walls, pink toilets. This is our kind of locker room but it wasn’t decked out this way to please the average pink-loving gal. In fact, this locker room is actually thought to be why Iowa’s so successful when playing home games. Iowa’s coach from 1979 to 1998, Hayden Fry, graduated with a degree in Psychology and read that pink has a calming effect on people (maybe why we love it!). So he ordered the visitor’s locker room be painted entirely pink to psychologically defeat the opponent team before the game even started. Sneaky…

Penn State Nittany Lions Original Uniform

A quick CAD of what the OG PSU uniforms looked like. Picture from http://onwardstate.com/2014/12/04/its-time-for-penn-state-football-to-wear-pink-black-throwbacks/.

You may associate Penn State’s Nittany Lions with blue and white, but did you know their original uniform colors were pink and black? In October of 1887, sophomore, junior, and senior students selected pink and black to be the school’s colors. But due to the sun, pink faded to white and the students opted for blue and white instead in 1890.

NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In 2009, the NFL Players Association and the American Cancer Society teamed up to create a Crucial Catch Campaign, that encouraged women to get regular mammograms. Since its inception, the campaign has raised over $15 million from sales of pink merchandise, also seen on NFL players during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, including footballs with pink ribbon decals, pink wristbands, gloves, hats, towels, chin straps, and shoelaces. They also throw pink coins for the coin toss and the cheerleaders sport pink pompoms, shirts, and wristbands. The merchandise players’ wear is then autographed and auctioned off.

University of Florida coach, Dwayne Douglas, and Dr. Robert Cade developed this quintessential and colorful sports beverage in 1966, when head coach noticed his Gators were losing weight and suffering from heat stroke during training. They developed what is now known as Gatorade to replenish the players with sugar, salt, and electrolytes. After much taste testing and alterations (apparently the original version was “disgusting”), the drink went on the market in 1967 and is still the drink of choice for college and professional athletes. While we don’t know for sure what color is always hiding in those Gatorade bottles, there is a pretty pink Gatorade that we like to think some players prefer!

Maybe it’s because of the colder than usual “spring” temperatures or the fact that I’ve been working on capturing the magic of summer all year, but this summer seems to have come out of nowhere and I am finding it very hard to believe that in just twelve days, I’ll be hitting my favorite beach town for Memorial Day Weekend. (Wasn’t it just Christmas?)

Check out these super cute pink workout clothes and accessories that will definitely allow for some extra cheat days of your favorite shore foods this summer!

Pink running shorts are necessary when planning your summer workout wardrobe. They’re perfect to throw on before a ride on your bike, a walk to breakfast, or a late afternoon jog around town. And these Layer 8 Mesh Shorts from Macy’s are some of the cutest we’ve seen. Pair them with just about anything and you’re ready to go (for only $8.99).

Since we may not be used to how hot it’s going to get in a couple weeks, make sure to pick up a reversible pink headband from Ivivva. A perfect accessory to add to your ensemble before breaking a sweat that will protect our hair from going frizz-crazy.

Last but not least, the most important thing to remember when working out in the hotter months is to stay hydrated. So pick up this Bubblegum Pink S’ip by S’well Water Bottleto accompany you on whatever exercise you have in mind this summer!

If you ask someone to name one summer activity, the first thing they will think of is most likely surfing. Who can blame them? Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer day than getting knocked over by a huge wave. It may not be the most fun way to cool off, but it sure is effective! If you’re looking to test the waters this summer, here are Pinkly Perfect’s Three Best Surfing Beaches in America.

Ocean City, New Jersey

One of the best surfing beaches on the East Coast is right in our backyard. Beautiful Ocean City, New Jersey is not only notorious for its family vibe, but it also has a pretty serious surf record. Ocean City High School has won eight consecutive championships for the state of New Jersey, which is a testament to the kind of surf culture the town has. Ocean City is quaint, but if you’re looking to do something a little crazier you can easily access the wildest place on the coast, Atlantic City (check out our article on fun things to do there if you’re under 21), which is just a short drive away. As for the actual surfing, relative to any other New Jersey and most other East Coast surf spots, Ocean City is the most consistent, uncrowded, and predictable. One caveat that Ocean City has compared to the West Coast is the fluctuating weather. New Jersey has a lot going for it, but the winter months are not one of them. I suggest surfing in December, but only if you’re a member of the Polar Bear Club.

Santa Cruz, California

When one thinks of surfing, they normally think of California right away, and for good reason. Santa Cruz’s waves are among the best in the world; they’re big and easy to ride almost every day of the year. As for the culture, Santa Cruz is a beautiful suburban city that is just a short car ride away from San Francisco, one of the West Coast’s most bustling cities. Santa Cruz is full of hidden alcoves and exclusive spots, so it’s perfect for the surfer who’s bored of the same old, same old. Just be careful of sharks!

Haleiwa, Hawaii

No surf-beach list is complete without the place that practically invented surfing: Hawaii. The Rainbow State is notorious for its beautiful beaches and gnarly waves, and Haleiwa is no exception. The best surfing season of the North Shore is September through May, which gives you plenty of time to master your skills before the summer rolls around. Haleiwa is not a place for beginners, though, since it is known for its potentially life threatening waves and shallow spots. If you’re daring enough to face it, Haleiwa is a quiet town during the off season perfect for low key riding and a busy venue during the contest season great for scoping out talent. The North Shore itself is calm, but Honolulu, the tourist capital of Hawaii, is a hop, skip, and a jump away!

Whether you’re a West Coast surfer or an East Coast beach bunny, America is full of amazing surf spots that are unique in their own way. Any of these fantastic spots would be the perfect place to kick back, soak up some sun, and ride some waves. Let us know in the comments section which beach you’re most excited to check out this summer! 🙂

Winter layers are adding up, tans are long gone, and its getting harder and harder to remember what summer feels like. Good thing there are plenty of things you can do to replay summer in your head — accessorize with summer florals, baking with beachy bakeware, or listening to the best summer songs of all time. And now we’re adding one more tool in your fight against winter blues–exercises that will bring you right back to summer!

1) Hot Yoga

Let’s remember that a silver lining of winter is wearing yoga pants. So put them to work while sweating like it’s the dog days of summer. Hot yoga gets the muscles warm, which often means better stretching (great for combating the winter muscle tightness we all carry), and is great for detoxifying skin. Hot yoga can mean many different things, from a warmer-than-room-temp vinyasa flowto a 103 degree Bikram yoga practice. Yoga classes are easy to find at many price points–you can even pull up aYouTube vid and do it in your living room–turn up the thermostat just a couple degrees and you’ll see a difference. Imagine that your yoga mat is a beach towel to make the best time of the year seem just a little closer.

2) Spinning

Bikes plus boardwalks is another thing that you just can’t get in the winter–but spinning is a very close substitute (minus the salty wind in your hair, of course!). Classes take place on stationary bikes, usually with a great playlist and a challenging mix of cardio and strength to carry you through class. If you’ve never done a spin class before, many studios and gyms have themed rides (like all T. Swift songs, or Kanye versus Drake, etc) so your favorite singer can take you through the hard parts. When it’s time to dust off your beach bike, getting up the ramp onto the boardwalk will be no sweat.

3) Playing in the Snow

Snow is the sand of winter, so embrace its chilly charm. Having a snowball fight will leave you winded, so that definitely counts as a workout in our book. Shoveling snow is a fantastic way to work out your legs and arms, and to help out around the house. Just remember to lift with your legs and not your back!

What else do you do to remind you of summer in the winter? Let us know in the comments section below! 🙂

As I am writing this article, I am warming up with a cup of coffee and a seahorse sugar cookie, decked out in a long sleeve tee and black cotton leggings. Needless to say, I am very happy. But I have to admit, I would probably be happier if I got a workout in today and really worked for these extra calories.

Somehow, as it gets colder and colder, staying in and warming up with comfort food becomes more tempting while changing into workout clothes and hitting up the gym gets less appealing. When it was warmer out, I had more energy and could easily throw on some shorts and a tank and hit the ground running (literally). But just the simple fact that now I have to check the weather app and whip out my colder weather workout gear, adding on the layers accordingly, throws me off so much that I would much rather stay inside and see what’s new on my Instagram feed in the company of some chocolate M&Ms.

I have found that the only way I can somehow trick myself into getting excited to go to the gym is if I have some great new workout clothes and accessories that make me feel like a million bucks, even if I have indulged a bit more in Halloween candy and sugar cookies recently.

In case you need some extra motivation like me (if you don’t, feel free to help us out and leave some advice in the comments section!), I scoured the internet to find some awesome pink workout gear to aid in our attempts to motivate us to get on the treadmill. Below is what I found and all can be seen in the picture above.

Ivivva (for those of you who don’t know, it’s Lululemon’s girls’ line) sells this awesome pink space dye scarf that you can easily throw on for some extra warmth before heading to the gym. You can wear it a bunch of different ways so it’s super versatile (aka the $34.00 price tag is way worth it). I love this because after a workout, the last thing I want to do is wrap my Kate Spade scarf I got for Christmas last year around my sweaty neck. (Gross, I know but if you can’t relate to that, you probably aren’t getting the best workout in.)

As fall decides to stick around, we unfortunately have to swap our neon active tanks for some long sleeve tees. But that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice summer colors! Zella (Nordstrom’s private label brand—check it out if you haven’t!) sells this subtle yet stylish “Breathless” tee, which works perfectly for both your workout and your well deserved Dunkin’ Donuts run afterwards. The best part is that it comes in pink!

Since we’re loading up on pink everywhere else, I think it’s important that we stick to some more basic bottoms. Target’s C9 label offers up these black compression tights with a pink waistband for only $16.99. For that price, I’m about to snag up a couple!

Since we’ve been consuming a lot of fall treats recently, it’s important we get a good cardio workout in, meaning we’ll definitely be needing a water bottle to stay hydrated. This one from Avex Sport is perfect because not only does it fit 24 ounces of water, but it also has a special compartment for our phone, car keys, and some cash for our coffee and donut visit later. The convenience of this is well worth the $18.99 price tag.

So are you excited to hit the gym now?! Probably not excited, but definitely more so now that you can be decked out and looking pretty in pink! 🙂

Did you know that there are hundreds of races that occur in towns along the Jersey Shore every year? We took a look at the race calendar on NJshorerun.com to pick out our favorite races for whatever reason you run.

If you run for distance…

…the Atlantic City Marathon is the one for you! Don’t worry, if you aren’t in shape to hop out of bed and run a marathon, there are half marathon, 10k, and 5k options for the race. You’ll run on the iconic AC boardwalk, past the Absecon Lighthouse, and among the casinos that are the backbone of AC. If you’re looking for an “easy” marathon, this is a good one–when you’re running at sea level, you know there aren’t any hills!

Atlantic City Marathon & Half Marathon

Atlantic City

October 18

If you run for a cause…

…the Polar Bear Run for Autism is perfect for you. The race was started by the owner of a local seafood restaurant to raise money for autism research and advocacy, after two of his children were diagnosed with autism. Aside from the sense of satisfaction you’ll get from supporting such an important cause, you’ll enjoy live music and a donut buffet (yum!) at the end of the race.

Polar Bear Run For Autism 5k Run/1 Mile Family Fun Walk

Sea Isle City

February 14

If you run for fun…

…you’ll love Dashing Thru The Sand in Avalon. This Christmastime race is rife with Santa hats, ugly sweaters, and elf ears. For an added twist, the race takes place entirely on the beach. In the spirit of the season, you’ll warm up afterward with hot chocolate and other treats provided by the race organizers.

Dashing Thru The Sand 5k Run/Walk

Avalon

December 27

If you run to bond with your family…

…the Fast & The Furriest Turkey Trot, sponsored by the Humane Society of Ocean City, is the race for you. Taking place on Thanksgiving Day, the 5k race is a great way to see your ex-football player uncles huffing and puffing down the boardwalk. Best of all, you can chow down at Thanksgiving guilt-free–after all, you ran a race!

As I mentioned in my last article, one great thing about the fall weather means getting to spend a lot of time outdoors appreciating the beautiful beach scenery. One of my favorite ways to do this is to go for bike rides along the water. Since I plan on riding a lot in the fall and will be continuing to ride my bike in the spring and summer as my preferred mode of transportation in my favorite seaside town, I started researching where I could find my perfect beach bike.

I have a lot of bike envy when I’m down the shore. Every time I see a girl riding a pale pink bike with a basket, I turn way jealous and want one immediately. So I began my search by googling beach cruisers. After scouring the internet, I found a company called Villy Custom, where (get this!) you can customize your own beach cruiser. That’s right, girls! Everything from the frames to the seats to the grips is yours to tailor to your favorite combo of colors.

The website walks you through each step where you can easily choose from a variety of colors and get a visual of your bike being built. Not only is this way convenient so you can create the perfect (and original) bike, but it’s also super fun and I guarantee you will spend hours on here contemplating different variations of colors. You can even rotate the image of your custom bike to get the view from all angles! I would upload a picture of my current preferred bike for you to check out, but I keep going back and forth. Do I want to stick with all pink? Do I want white and gold? Do I want pink and mint? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Check it out here, enjoy creating your custom beach cruiser, and send me pics of your final decisions! I can’t wait to check them out! 🙂

One of my favorite things about fall is the weather. Although the extreme summer heat is perfect for laying out on the beach and eating ice cream (my two favorite things about the magical season), the fall is actually much more conducive to outdoor activities. The brisk, cool temperature means you can stay outside for longer and not get so worn out from the heat and humidity.

And if you’re lucky enough to live close to a beach, you can maximize your beach time and get your daily dose of exercise in by the water! Instead of just running on the sand, I found 5 easy exercises you could incorporate into your workout on Women’s Health Magazine’s website.

Find detailed instructions here and keep on enjoying as much time on the beach as possible!

I’m going to get really frank about something because I know I’m not alone. By the end of the summer I get very lazy. Something about knowing that bikini-uniform season is ending makes staying motivated to exercise very difficult. It’s not like the beginning of the summer or right before Memorial Day Weekend when you know you’re going to need to feel really comfortable in minimal clothing 24/7. Combine that lack of pressure, the sadness that summer season is ending, and the feeling that you need to stock up on all the ice cream and funnel cake you can before your favorite seaside town’s closed up for the off-season, and it’s super easy to put on the extra couple pounds you worked so hard at keeping off. (Aside: the other night I was getting anxious about summer ending and before I knew it, I had consumed three handfuls of caramel corn. End aside).

For the record, this happens to me every summer around the middle of August so I’m being realistic that it’s just how it’s going to be. But the article I found below on the teens section of KidsHealth.org feature super easy workouts you can do to mix into your day that are little helpers that can make a big difference in not feeling even worse about life once September rolls around.

Read it here so you can indulge in those big pancake breakfasts, ice cream sundaes, and handfuls of saltwater taffy without any (read: too much) guilt!

And as always, remember to follow me on Instagram @pinklyperfect_inc 🙂